Weak or Weakness
by Horror Beloved
Summary: SnakexOtacon. One shot ficlet. Otacon tries to defend his intentions behind REX's 'weak point' to a rather unconvinced Snake.


A/N: Yeah... got a weird idea in my head at like 3am after playing Twin Snakes for the 50th time... just a little debate between Snake and Otacon based on something Otacon says over codec when you call him during the REX battle. Takes place after Shadow Moses; before the Tanker incident.Silly one shot… Wish I could think of a suitable title... I suck at titles... Well, enjoy!

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_Based off the quote:  
"It's not a weak point; it's a weakness! People and weapons just aren't as appealing without a weakness of some kind!" – Hal Emmerich on Metal Gear Rex._

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To this day, Snake never really understood my intentions behind Rex. Mind you, I had little time or incentive to draw out an explanation the first time he asked. It wasn't a weak point. Rex had no weak point. Impenetrable exterior, full articulate movement, two Vulcan cannons, knee mounted anti-tank missiles, a rail gun, an electron laser, self-encased interface controls… that alone is enough to argue my point. I still remember Snake's panicked voice as he demanded to know how a single man could go about beating the perfect weapon. He must've thought I was crazy when I told him. After all, it's all quite simple…

"So let me get this straight," Snake said to me, as I idly sipped my morning coffee. "You had intentionally created Metal Gear Rex with a weak point..?"

"It wasn't a weak point. It was a _weakness._ I keep trying to tell you, there's a difference," I say tiredly, knowing that I'm arguing my point against a man who just won't be argued with.

"All right, difference or no difference, that just means with the Metal Gears we'll be dealing with in the future, the engineers and technicians will have picked up on this. We'll be up against machines with no _weakness_, as you so lovingly put it…" he mutters, pulling the nearly finished cigarette from his mouth and squashing it in the ashtray on the counter. The one which I noted perturbed to myself was nearly filled to the brim with the butts of his cancer sticks…

"Not true. Rex won't be duplicated. They're looking to start something new, I'm telling you. Sure, they'll make improvements where they can, probably make a prototype that is capable of things that Rex wasn't… but they won't perfect on the Rex model anymore than he already was."

"I'm not seeing where this is going… Rex had a weak point, it was that… that shield thing…" Ahh… my articulate partner… I smile as I correct him.

"Radome?"

"Yeah, that… and once that was blown to smithereens, the entire consoles area opened up. Anything powerful enough could have clobbered it from there. How can you say that's not a weak point?"

"A weak point would imply that it was unintentional. It was very intentional. That it was that one deliberately placed radome, and it was accessible for attack. All part of the larger scheme I designed. You should be grateful."

"Does that really matter? I'm still not seeing the difference here between a weakness and a weak point…" Snake mumbles, now rolling his eyes and leaning idly back against the wall. My guess is that he'd rather not sit and risk a full out, two-and-a-half hour debate with the ever persistent engineer… but I'm not through with him yet…

"You remember I told you I went into the field of electronics and engineering to build robots, right?"

Snake nodded. Good, he's at least following along.

"Well, I don't see robots and weapons as being that different from people… robots, like people, shouldn't exist without some sort of 'character flaw.' After all, it's just that which defines us as individuals, right?"

"You _have_ been watching too many of those damn cartoons… we're talking about combat and nuclear warfare here, not one of your Japanese animes…"

I sigh… it always has to go back to that, doesn't it? Crazy Hal, the oddball who enjoys his cartoons… I'd gotten used to taking the slack from the guys in ArmsTech, but with Snake, it's different. I want to at least defend my remaining shreds of dignity in this argument. "It's got nothing to do with any of that, not the nuclear warfare, and not anime! All I'm saying is that there's a difference in a poorly made machine with a fatal flaw and a machine made meticulously with an intentional weakness. Besides, we both know that if you hadn't called me, you'd be dead." I take another sip of coffee, his silence a victory to my ears. "Everyone has a weakness. It's what makes us individuals, like I said. Things just aren't appealing without a weakness. There'd be no variation or point of interest." I look up at Snake. He seems either bored or annoyed at where this is going. Maybe a little of both.

"All right… let's try comparing then…" I jump back a little as Dave's large hands slam against the table with a bang, his face drawing dangerously close to mine. I think he knows that I hate when he pulls shit like this… I merely cower a moment and listen. "How would you compare the weakness and weak point of a machine to those of a person..?" he says slowly, grinning and awaiting my answer.

"Th-they're not that different… people are more open and prone to injury and assault when blinded, right? I mean that figuratively, of course… not in the sense of literally being vision impaired, but… but it's the same basic concept…" I can't argue under these conditions, and he knows it… arrogant bastard…

"That's too figurative… I'm looking for some proof, Doctor…"

Oh, so that's where he's going with this… I smirk to myself knowingly, almost sure at that moment his gaze became slightly confused by my sudden bout of confidence. Standing up, I let my arms drape over his shoulders and draw myself as close as the table will allow. He narrows his eyes, his stare piercing dangerously into mine.

"You're cheating…"

"You asked for proof…" Ignoring his stubborn gaze, I brush my face past his, whispering softly in his ear. "…And I'm procuring it…" Grinning to myself, I trace my tongue along his earlobe before taking it in my lips and nibbling the flesh lightly. It's a shame I can't see his face right then, but I can feel him shudder… and hear what was distinctly a gasp. A gasp from the great Solid Snake… Needless to say, it's enough to make someone like me feel like God… I pull back slightly, looking into his eyes, which remain stubborn and protesting. "Now, would I call that a weak point or a weakness..?" I say with a cocky grin.

To my surprise, Snake grins back. "But every experiment needs a control…"

Hmm… I'm not sure if that made sense, and I stare at him quizzically as he moves to the other side of the table where I'm standing. Then, in one sudden movement, I'm flat on my back… on the kitchen table… The remaining coffee spilling off the edge of the table from where I'd dropped the mug. "S-Snake!"

"Weakness or weak point..? Let's find out…" he teases with a growl, his hands grasping my thighs roughly. Crap… One thing was certain… no matter how this turns out, he's going to think he's won…

But in the end, I know I'm right; things, and more importantly, _people,_ are just more appealing with their weaknesses. "Cheater…"


End file.
